The practice of mindfulness is introduced as a mental exercise, with careful attention drawn to inner experience. However, there is also a component of mindfulness that includes the physical dimension of experience as well. In all of the spiritual disciplines that involve some aspects of mindful awareness, the monks who practice it are also committed to a discipline of physical labor as part of the practice. This is actually supported by the neurological organization of our brains. There is a major circuit of the brain (neurons that work together) that ties the emotional centers, the thought centers, and physical work, especially work involving our hands, together. Thoughts, emotions, and physical movement mutually influence each other. It is artificial to think of them as separate. So practice mindfulness when you are engaging in physical movement too. You might notice that mindful movement helps to bring the emotions and thoughts into better balance. John Weaver, Psy.D.
The word compassion comes from two Latin words that literally mean "to suffer with." The act of compassion involves mindfully opening up to the sufferings and struggles of others, particularly those who are less fortunate. It is tempting to insulate myself from the pain of another person so that I can preserve my momentary pleasant feeling. Yet the scientific studies of mindfulness practitioners demonstrate that the practice of mindful compassion is much more strongly associated with happiness than any other mindful practice or any other mental state. How can this be? How can the willingness to open myself to the sufferings of others lead to happiness?
It must be understood that this type of happiness is not equal to physical pleasure. This is happiness that comes out of feeling greater satisfaction with how I am choosing to live my life. The reason human beings have been successful as a species in this world is because of our ability to cooperate and form communities. Humans are not as strong, nor as fast, and do not have the acute sensory abilities of other animals. The thing we do better than any other living creature is work together, even passing on knowledge from previous generations. The ability to be compassionate, to reach beyond individual pain to share in each others pain, is a fundamental part of this ability to be successful in the world. Opening up to the pain of another person is part of being fully human. John Weaver, Psy.D.
